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OLY II

Oly II - IIS - IISX - III

The OLY ll is a favorite of thousands of new and
experienced pilots. It is so easy to build and fly, very sturdy,
easy to repair and goes up in the lightest of lift.
Woodys Forever

Hello Ray

My new Oly ready to take to the sky over the Thousand Oaks Soaring
Society's new site at Sapwi Trails park. Went up straight and true off
the bench. I built and flew my first Oly 35 plus years ago. Thanks for
putting together such a nice kit. I'm now scratching a Pierce Arrow
and looking forward to purchasing a Paragon when available.

Sky Bench is proud to announce the availability of the famed Original
Airtronics Olympic II sailplane kit, better know as the OLY II. We
are now producing this great flying and super durable Lee Renaud
design.

The OLY II has been the best beginners R/C Sailplane for years
and has taught thousands of r/c sailplane enthusiasts how to fly
successfully. The OLY II will stay up on the slightest of thermal
activity and produce long flights for the beginner, but don't be
fooled into thinking it is only for beginners. The OLY II is still
winning contests, Tom Kellevang flew his OLY to first place in the
2000 AMA/LSF Nostalgia NATS and the wind was fierce all day.

The kit was originally designed to build fast and now Sky
Bench has improved on that with laser cut wing ribs that are stacked,
and ready for immediate use with out needing to be punched out like a
die cut kit. The fin is now a one piece laser cut part that saves
building time and more importantly makes a much stronger tail section
to better withstand a flip over landing. Both the stab and rudder
also have laser cut parts to save building time and create more
accurate and stronger flying surfaces. The fuse top and bottom are
now laser cut and this will also save building time.

The wing leading edges are pre shaped and require minimal
sanding, spoilers are optional, but installation is shown on the
construction plan. All hardware to complete the model is furnished
except the adhesives and covering materials.
The 5/16" steel wing rod that joins the two wing
halves is a competition level wing joiner.

Separate plans are furnished for the wings and the
construction manual is illustrated with lots of photos to make
building a snap.

Ray,

I finished the Oly 2e by early spring but only flew it a couple days
ago. My goal was to have a 7 oz / sf electric glider and it came in at
7.2 oz. Boy am I happy, floats like an Oly should.

This was my first electric and I didn't feel a need for it to go up
vertical and tried to keep the watts lower but it still seems
overpowered, applying power the nose comes up and it climbs like
crazy. The D35/36/9 motor and 30 amp ESC are mounted in a fiberglass
cowl screwed to a modified bulkhead with 3 nylon screws. This was done
to provide a more streamlined profile and also easy motor
replacement. The low weight still carries 2 batteries-11002S10C Rx and
1300.3S.25 motor battery. Other changes were rudder area was increased
by a triangular trailing edge and a CF wing joiner replaced the steel
which reduced the wing loading by .2 oz / sf.

I probably spent as much time building the fiberglass cowl as I did
the rest of the plane. Your kit parts were so perfect in the way it
fit together, it amazed me. I know I'm going to love this glider.

Thank you for the superb work, Joe Vano

Thanks Ray,

OLY ll makes its first flight, Your advice was sage.

I got so pumped building this, that next year I'll be looking around to
build another.

Steve Bacon

This was my second build after the Gentle Lady.
The OLY II had its test flight this weekend and did great.
16 minutes off the winch with very little lift.
Looking forward to building the Big Bird.

I have been continually striving to improve the OLY ll
kit to improve the strength and the ease of assembly.

The kit now includes the Du Bro Laser push rod package
and Du Bro metal clevises. This will improve the quality
of the kit and make the building more enjoyable.

An electric motor mount former is also included in the OLY ll kits.
Many builders use four wood triangles in the corners of the fuse to
round the fuse down to match the spinner diameter.

Flight Battery and
Servo Information:

I use a 4 cell, KR-1400-AE Ni-Cd Flight Battery pack from Batteries
America, with a Hitec receiver protection rubber pad (1/8" thick) between
the nose block and pack. This fits just right in my OLY ll. I have two
quarters for added nose weight. I'm using the larger size Hitec HS 300
servos for rudder and elelvator.

14 year old wins first place in his first contest flying an "Oly II"

Laser cut fuse parts. Snap lock parts totally reduces building time and the newly
designed parts increase the fuse strength tremendously. Note the servo/switch
tray and 1/64 plywood doublers, Lee Renaud would be proud of this kit.

The stab tips and leading edge center splice part,
elevators with control horn mounting holes, rudder top and bottom and fin
are all laser cut for fast building time.

This is my completed parts.
The bottom of the stab and bottom of the fin
were left uncovered for gluing purposes.

OLY ll build by Kuhan and his son Keeran.Hats off to the Fathers that give their children quality
time.

The wing leading edges are pre shaped and require minimal sanding,
spoilers are optional, but installation is shown on the construction
plan. All hardware to complete the model is furnished except the
adhesives and covering materials. The 5/16" steel wing rod that joins
the two wing halves is a competition level wing joiner.

Separate plans are furnished for the wings and the construction manual
is illustrated with lots of photos to make building a snap.

Looks just like the original OLY ll, but the airfoil is changed to S 3014
for great penetration. The wing's leading edge is D-Tube balsa sheeted, top
and bottom, for a more accurate airfoil shape and added strength. The OLY ll
S will float very slowly without out dropping a wing tip prematurely, but
with a couple clicks of down elevator will fly in 10 - 15 mph winds easily.
Construction Plan shows flaps and/or spoilers, builders choice, kit is
supplied with the spoilers and plywood horns.
The OLY ll S wing will not fit on the regular OLY ll fuse. If your building
a sailplane for the first time, the OLY ll wing is a bit easier to
understand since it doesn't have the wing sheeting to install. Look at the
instructions linked below and decide which kit you would like to start with.
Both wings are two piece for easy transporting.

The OLY ll S or OLY ll will be a terrific choice for electric powered
installation. Electric powered sailplanes is the most convenient way to
learn how to fly RC sailplanes, the most convenient way to launch them and
probably the fastest way to successful RC flying. The best way to really
sharpen your flying skills is launching from a Hi Start or Winch. Both kits
include a laser cut plywood motor mount for Speed 600 or 700 motors. Other
motors will require adapting the motor mount. See Hobby Lobby for sourcing.

I guarantee you will be impressed with the performance level of my new OLY
ll S design. ... Ray ...

Ray's OLY ll S

The best reason to own both an OLY ll and an OLY ll S
is the difference in flight characteristics and the similarity.

Especially if you are relatively new to building and flying RC Sailplanes.

If your new to flying RC Sailplanes, start with the OLY ll.
If you have flown other Sailplanes and are not intimidated building
a D-Tube sheeted wing and built up trailing edge, then don't miss out
on flying the OLY ll S.

Both will make fantastic Electric Powered RC Sailplanes.

Here are the set up specifications on my OLY ll S

Flying weight ...

42 oz

Wing Span ...

102.5"

Wing Area ...

908 sq in - 6.31 sq ft

Wing Loading ...

7.77 oz per sq ft

Balance Point ...

6 - 3/16" Forward of T. E. ( Wing's trailing edge )

Tow Hook located in laser cut whole in the Plywood Fuse bottom.
Approximately an 1/8" behind the balance point.

Rudder throw ...

1-5/8" each way.

Stab max up ...

1/2".

Stab max down ...

3/8".

I build my Spoilers on all of my kits to open straight up,
they are very effective that way
and that explains why my kits are designed with shorter spoiler blades.
The shorter the spoiler blade, the less disturbance to flight performance when they are closed.

This new version of the OLY ll S eliminates the rubber band wing hold down
system. Wings are mounted to the fuse sides like the OLY lll.

Kit Price ... $168.95
Wing Area ... 908 sq in

OLY II SX BUILD

Long cold winter days puts you in the basement building next springs
thermo ships. I purchased a Oly II SX from Sky Bench Models in Ind.
This is a 100" thermo ship with wing rods not rubber bands to hold the
wing on. You can install an elect motor with very little trouble.

I needed a project for the winter so I decided on the Oly II SX with
electric power. I chose a Turnigy 2836/8 motor with a Turnigy Plush
30A ESC and some Turnigy Nano-tec 1300Ma 3 cell Li-Polys, a 10-6 and
11-6 folding prop and metal spinner. I hoped I would have enough
power to get the 3lb a/c up and into the clouds.

I mounted the motor on a 4ft. piece of 4x4 pine and placed it on the
floor, as it went by my nose I pulled the battery lose and managed
keep from breaking the prop or the motor. Minor damage to my face and
shirt. With the 10-6 prop it pulls 22 amps and 28amps with a 11-6. I
guess if it will fly a 2x4x4' it should fly the Oly. The pix shows it
ready for sanding, final assembly and covering.

John Lusk

Sorry to say but the Oly II SX-E is finished. I hoped to make the
build last for a month and a half to get through the cold part of the
winter. It was a fun and a easy build. Installing the electric motor
was no problem, with the battery behind the motor, then servos then
the ESC and the receiver under the wing rod tube. I installed flaps
and cut them out of the trailing edge so they are flush with the
bottom of the wing. I had to beef up the trailing edge and flaps with
spruce and if I had do-over's I would use 1 1/2" trailing edge stock
to make the wing a little more solid and could reflex the flaps for a
little speed. The weather was up to 57 today (warm for Madison Wi.)
and I had planed to do a test fly, BUT:

It rained all night and water got into the basement and I had to pull
up the carpet and rent a dehumidifier. It's now dark, my back hurts
and I think I will consume many adult beverages. Will let you know how
it fly's this spring, we are having 6" of snow tomorrow and high of 6
degrees on Thursday.

John Lusk

Ray,

Maiden flight of my Oly II SX this morning. Flew beautifully.

Thanks,

Fred Crunk

If you're new to building Woody kits and flying them, I suggest you start
with the OLY ll, the #1 trainer kit for thousands of newbies. If you
have had building experience, but not much flying experience, choose
between the OLY ll and OLY ll S. The difference is in the wing
airfoil, consequently, the wing construction. The S has a sheeted top
and bottom area between the leading edge and a bit past the spar, plus
a built up trailing edge. Both have the SAFETY feature of the wings
held on with Rubber bands. This method of wing attachment adds
durability to a sailplane while improving your landing skills.

If you are going to install an electric motor, consider the fuse
difference between the SX and the original OLY ll fuse. The wings
held on by rubber bands means the fuse section under the wing allows
super easy access to the large motor/Rx battery. The motor controller
allows the motor battery to also power the Receiver, eliminating the
need for two flight batteries. The SX requires a battery hatch access
in the top of the fuse, long enough to fit the battery system you
choose or in the bottom of the fuse. The bottom access requires
cutting a hatch in the plywood bottom. Builders choice.

The OLY ll SX has a narrower fuse than the OLY ll and OLY ll S.
( The SX electric motor mount former dimensions are 1-3/8" wide, 1-5/8" tall ).
This
means less drag and coupled with eliminating the rubber band posts
protruding from the fuse sides provides a better performance factor.

The OLY ll S and SX can be agressively Zoomed launched from an
electric powered winch. They can fly very well in windy conditions
due to the airfoil, allowing you to fly more often and more
competitively.

The OLY ll S Kit Series are starting a new chapter to continue the
legacy of OLY 11.

Flaps will provide the best landing control for accuracy and safety.
They can be coupled to the stab in your Tx to provide a slow and
controlled landing. They can also be utilized during launch and
flying, but there is a learning curve and most pilots over use the
flaps.

Ray,

I finished my Oly II SX-E this spring and have flown it a few times
now. I really appreciate the high quality wood in your kit. It's
really fun to build something that comes off the bench straight and
requires no trim adjustments. I used an O.S. 3810 motor, Castle 45A
ESC, and an 11-7 prop. It climbs with authority. In fact, I have yet
to use full throttle in flight. It gets to a 150 meter cut-off in
about 20 seconds. I also like the low speed handling qualities of
this airplane. No tips stalls and plenty of rudder make maneuvering
low and slow at a landing target much less stressful. In all areas, a
very impressive design and kit.

Hi Ray! I had a 36+ minute flight today with the Oly III!! Love this
sailplane. I could have stayed up longer, but my neck was
aching. Going to have to exercise those muscles if I want to keep
flying this plane. :-)

Ann

OLY lll took 2nd place in Woodie Class
at last years Visalia CVRC event.

Built by:
Roman Lopatynski (pic)

Flown by:
Jeff Bates

Hi Ray,

Hope this finds you well, here is a picture of my daughter Haley and
my Olympic III. I lengthened and widened the nose for electric power,
the firewall and extension are glassed in as the nose is pretty thin
up front. The motor is a Neumotor 1107 2Y driving a 6.7 to 1 gear box
that spins the 16x10 prop. The Esc and bec is Hitec as is the
receiver. the battery is a 3 cell 2200 milliamperes lipo. I think I
did the nose justice, I was reluctant to hack up your design too
much. The only other modification was adding carbon fiber to the
spars. She weighs in at 68.35 oz with the battery and ready to fly,
for about 9.2 oz a square foot. and aside from the not so great
covering job I'm very pleased with her. So far I have had 3 fling
sessions. The first two in fairly windy conditions 15 to 20 mph and I
was able to get a few good flights in and stay up for 15 to 25 minutes
at a time working spotty lift and some slope lift off a tree line. She
doesn't mind the wind much at all and penetrates well
unballasted. This past Saturday I had my best day. Your design had me
smiling from ear to ear. I felt like I was cheating. The wind was out
of the south at 5 to 10 mph about 90 degrees for temp and scattered
clouds. I setup just north and east of a big soccer tournament, lots
of parked cars and the lift was booming I had 4 flights the first
three were up to about 500 feet on the motor and the fairly quickly up
to my visual range limit and the back down with the spoilers. All
three of those flights were 20 minutes plus and I could have stayed up
much longer. The last flight was 45 minutes plus and I went up and
down 3 times to my visual limit. What a blast, I'm about to charge the
lipos up and see if I can do as well today without all those parked
cars. I wanted to let you know how much I'm enjoying the plane, what a
great design. The build was great and the end result was more than
worth the effort. I currently have the little bird on the bench and am
working on that. After I finish her up I'll have to decide if it's the
skybird or the 970. It has been almost twenty years since I have flown
sailplanes and I have many fond memories flying with my dad. Passing
the transmitter back and forth and trying to beat each other's longest
flight on a much used Mirage. After The kids were grown and doing
their own things I bought a new radio and a Arf glider that got top
reviews. What a disappointment. I almost hung it up right there. I'm
glad I found your website and ordered a kit. Thanks again.

I just composed a long letter, the gist of which was to order a new
Oly III. My first one bit the dust today from some sort of launching
mishap...I tried to use both hands and managed to get something
spoiled in the radio antenna in the process. Earlier in the day she'd
specked out, actually faded out in some relatively low marine layer
left over from the morning, and it was the "one last flight" that did
it. I have truly enjoyed this plane and used her to capture my first
trophy, first place in "Sportsman" at Torrey Pines Gulls! The dark
blue and flaming orange colors light up the southern California skies,
but today she spiraled into the ground in a shallow brush pile under a
huge Sycamore that took care of the wings. You should know, the
design and build was very strong as she really ripped through some
upper branches before meeting her demise.

I am eager to get going on a replacement. Yes, I'll try to learn from
this, but really am not skilled enough to rebuild the whole
thing...fuse broke in two in front of the wing on impact, the
empennage broke, though not badly, in front of the stab. and the wings
tore out both joiner boxes. My nose canopy and "lid" are the only
entire pieces left!

Bill Eckles

Hello Ray, just a note to show you the completed Oly III with
flaps. She's ready to fly and balanced right on the spar. All up
weight is 61oz. I hope to maiden as soon as the NW weather
allows. Best regards.

My Oly III flew for the first time today. My complements on the design
and the kit, this is a very elegant sailplane at a very reasonable cost.
I am attaching a low res photo, and looking forward to the release of
your WF-XL kit.

Randy Smith

Hi Ray,

Here's a photo of my newly finished Olympic III, I'm very proud of the
way it turned out. I must say that I was a bit intimidated beings this
was my first build but when I got the kit, I knew I could do it. All
the components were cut to perfection and fit like a glove and was
very easy to visualize with the detail in the drawing. This has been
one of the best experiences in my life thanks to you and the guys on
RCG.

Best Regards,
Don

Thank you Ray for providing such an outstanding kit. Wood selection is
superb, fit of all parts is amazing. Plans and instructions are
accurate and thorough. I have never had more fun building a sailplane
in my life! Everyone that has seen the kit was equally impressed and I
count some top-notch builders in that group. I can't wait to build
some of your other offerings. So many fine choices, so little time.

Sean Brown

Steve, from Australia with his beautiful OLY lll

Steve's OLY lll has attracted an Australian Magpie.

Steve's 2M Lil'Bird in action.

Jim Allen's mighty fine looking OLY lll

Tom Scully's winning OLY III, Toledo 08 Show.

Ray,

Just had to let you know how much we love this plane! Larry and I put
the Olys up on Sunday and this plane just floats forever! We have Ammo
28-45-2100 brushless motors with 4.3-1 planetaries with 16-10 folders
on them. Only took about a 20 sec. climb to get to 500ft. and mother
nature provided the rest of the lift. After a 30 min. and 45
min. flight we decided that this is the best glider we have ever
built/flown. We only used the power on initial climbout, the rest of
the flight was thermal/slope off the top of hill at our field here in
southeast Ohio. You will probably get another order for a kit from
some of the onlookers that watched in ahhhhhh as these birds
flew. Thank you for a great plane.
Frank Groza
Larry Townsend

Hi Ray -

I just want to share with you that I had the maiden flight of a
Sky Bench Oly III yesterday evening. First was a hand toss and she
flew straight as an arrow and without needing any trim adjustments.
Next we hooked her onto a high start and away she went. She rotated
perfectly upon release and climbed straight and true. Once aloft
there was no need for trim adjustment either for directional or
vertical stabilization. My buddy at the field was equally amazed by
the flight characteristics of the O3. He flies a Paragon which in
his words is a flying brick when compared to the O3. I want to thank
you for building such a wonderful product. I believe that with time
the O3 will help me to progress quickly up the LSF ladder of skills.
I am a new pilot and my first plane was a Sig Riser which was a great
plane to learn with. With the O3 I am convinced that my skill level
will accelerate in it's development.

2014 AMA Nationals, Neville flying his OLY lll, his wife and Ray
Monroe cherring him on. This turned out to be a great reunion for all
of us having flown in the Canadian Nats together in 1977. Hopefully,
Ann will join them in the 2015 AMA Nats.

Hello Ray,

Well, this novice completed building the Oly III, on 8/20/2014, with
your help and advice. I successfully flew it 10 times, and from the
very first flight, 2 days ago, to the 10th flight this morning, it has
flown spectacularly. STRAIGHT & LEVEL, FOREVER.

I took my time to prevent any warp in the wings and fuse. I very
carefully aligned the stab and rudder; and ensured that wings were
balance, and that the c.g. was right-on. Following your instructions
to the letter, culminated in a fantastic 1st flight and an electric
sail plane which will provide many hours of flight fun and enjoyment.

Please see the attached.

Thank You, RAY.

CRAIG HAYDEL

Kevin O'Dell and his newly finished OLY lll

Hello all.....I wanted to report that I have yet to have a maiden
flight of the Oly III since I was in the hospital for 24 days back in
January. I had an above the knee amputation of my right
leg. Everything is going well though as next Friday I should stat the
fitting of my first prosthesis. The minute I'm able to drive and get
some nice weather, I will be at the field with the hi-start laid out
and let this big bird find some rising air! I appreciate everyone's
input during the build and I will post final all up pics in the next
few weeks. I'll get pics and video during the maiden as I have another
glider guider that is chomping at the bit to see this bird fly. I'll
see you later. Kevin O'Dell

Kevin, Many of us look forward to your photos and Video, wishing you
the best. Ray

Dave Dahl's Oly III Electric

Just maidened this today.

Now I have a reason to attend this event

After building this electric converted Oly III off and on
for about a year or more, I finally got it finished and flown today.
It was my third Skybench build.

Flew great...no issues other than messing with CG, throws,
and launch and spoiler mixing. I've owned a bunch of sailplanes
over the years, and I gotta say, the Oly III flies really nice!

Power is a Neu 1110 motor geared 6.7:1 on a
3S 1300mah pack with a 38mm spinner and 16X10 prop.
"Spirited performance" is a good way to describe it

The main building challenge was the nose,
but by using an 8 sided firewall with triangle stock,
blocks and a bunch or sanding, it all worked out.